This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A fuel injector is supplied with a pressurized fuel supply that the injector delivers to a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. The injector may include an actuation member and a valve mechanism to selectively open and close a fuel flow path from the pressurized fuel supply to the combustion chamber. A variable-area poppet injector is direct acting and can include an actuator stroke of less than 40 μm in order to provide a variable stroke stem lift of less than 15 μm. Lash can occur in the actuation stack-up due to thermal expansion, pressure expansion and part variation. Lash can reduce the transfer of motion between the electrical actuator and the injector stem and hinder the accuracy of the injector control. Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the lash that can occur between components of a variable-area poppet injector.